The Cloud Offers Opportunity for Oil and Gas Cybersecurity

The rapid acceleration in the adoption of cloud services has increased the focus on cybersecurity. While data protection and privacy have always been key concerns in the oil and gas industry, they frequently have been achieved by isolating networks and strengthening perimeter defenses. However, this approach has allowed poor practices in many areas. The author argues that the advent of cloud technology should not be regarded as a further challenge to security, but an opportunity to revitalize and improve a company’s defenses dramatically.

Introduction

Computer security involves a web of trust between operating systems, hypervisors, applications, networks, employees, contractors, and administrators (Fig.